Pakistan Arbitrary detentions violate human rights

Amnesty International is concerned at reports that
several groups of people, including Pakistani and
non-Pakistani nationals, have been arbitrarily detained in
the last few weeks. Most of the arrests are connected with
issues relating to national security and are accordingly
surrounded by secrecy.

"Given the widespread use of
torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment in
places of detention in Pakistan, we fear for the life and
safety of the detainees. Being held incommunicado they are
particularly at risk of torture and ill-treatment. We are
also concerned that the detainees may be transferred to US
custody in circumvention of Pakistan's extradition law,"
Amnesty International said today in a open letter to
Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf. (Read the letter
online at
http://amnesty-news.c.tep1.com/maabU6daa4acvbb0hPub /
)

"While we acknowledge that the security of the people of
Pakistan and the curbing of political violence are important
duties of the state, we are concerned that in this context
basic civil and political rights of suspects are all too
often ignored. Measures to curb violent political acts must
be placed strictly in a framework of human rights," the
organization continued.

Pakistan has violated a range of
human rights obligations which are guaranteed in the
Constitution of Pakistan, Pakistan law and international
law. It has arbitrarily arrested Pakistani and non-Pakistani
people suspected of membership of al-Qai'da and the Taliban
or of anti-state activities.

"We are particularly
concerned that there are children among those arbitrarily
detained. Such arbitrary detention in unacknowledged places
violates a range of obligations Pakistan entered when
ratifying the Convention on the Rights of the Child in
1990."

Amnesty International raised concern in 2003 with
the Government of Pakistan about two children of a wanted
man suspected of links to al- Qa'ida who have been in
arbitrary detention since September 2002 but has not
received any response from the Government of Pakistan.

There are indications that some of detainees may be in
the process of being handed over to the US without reference
to any legal requirements, including Pakistan's domestic
legislation governing extradition. In the past Pakistan has
handed over several hundred detainees to the US where they
are likely to suffer further human rights violations.

"We
call on the Government of Pakistan to strictly adhere to
Pakistan's own constitutional and legal safeguards and
international human rights law and standards," Amnesty
International said. "To discriminate against those suspected
of 'terrorist' or 'anti-state' offences by arbitrarily
arresting them and handing them over while circumventing
formal extradition proceedings violates the principle of
equality before law and equal protection of law which are
fundamental rights recognized in the Constitution of
Pakistan. "

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